Cheapest Places To Buy Groceries In Florida For Tourists
We visited Florida in 2023 and found that eating out every night wasn’t an option when we had 16 days to enjoy. Eating out as a couple cost us on average $50 and with a tip on top you’re looking at $70 as most of our tips for servers were $20 as the service we received was amazing, and if the service was poor we would tip $10 although that only happened twice. Due to having a villa, we decided it would be sensible to buy groceries and either cook dinners some nights or take our own food to outings such as Disney World.
One of the things you have to remember when buying groceries abroad is that one shop isn’t going to sell everything you need. You might be looking at where to buy inexpensive groceries in Florida but we ended up going to a couple of stores to make sure we got everything we wanted and weirdly enough, we found that Aldi wasn’t the cheapest.
Are Groceries Expensive In Florida?
Yes, depending on where you shop. I’ll put a list below of the places you can buy groceries in Florida and I’ll make sure you know how expensive they are. There are some stores such as Publix that you can get pretty much anything there, but if you live in the UK you’ll know that a Publix is the equivalent of Waitrose and it’s not affordable if you’re on holiday for a long time and depending on how many people you’re on holiday with.
Are Groceries More Expensive In Florida?
Groceries are pretty much the same price no matter what state you are in so don’t worry about the prices being cheaper in a state over when you’re on your Florida holiday. The one thing you need to think about when getting Florida groceries is the place you buy them. Some stores are bound to be more expensive than other stores and that’s why I’ve made this list.
Can I Use Florida Food Coupons?
I love using coupons, you can get them online and even pick them up in store. However, you might be used to watching influencers on TikTok or seeing coupons being used in a huge way in films but that’s not reality. Most people that use coupons have years of experience and they know all the tricks of the trade, if you want to use Florida shopping coupons I’d suggest doing your homework months in advance so that you have time to find the right coupons and understand them.
During our Florida holiday, we tried to find and use coupons but were unsuccessful more than once. It’s not easy to do and unless you’re a local you might not have a clue what to do, like we didn’t!
Take a look at our The Cheapest Places To Buy Disney Products In Florida (Not In Disney World) article and save your money to spend on groceries or food!
Cheapest Places To Buy Groceries In Florida List
Below is a list of places to buy food in Florida, I’ve tried to order it cheap to more expensive although it really does change depending on what you want to buy. If you’re looking for the cheapest place to buy food in Florida, take a look at the list below and let us know what you think.
Aldi Florida
Aldi is universally cheap no matter what state or country you are in. That being said, it might be in the top spot but it’s not that cheap for some products. I would suggest going to Aldi if you’re looking for bottled water which I know a lot of people do as they don’t want to drink Florida water from the tap. Depending on the price you can get a crate of 36 bottles of water for $4 (May 2023) and I’d suggest getting some so that you have water and can stay hydrated all the time.
What Is Cheap In Aldi Florida?
Aldi can be really cheap and a great place to buy groceries in Florida.
- Water
- Milk (soya & almond)
- Fruit and vegetables.
What Is Expensive in Aldi Florida?
- Cereal
- Sweets & chocolate
- Drinks that aren’t water (apple juice, orange juice etc.)
Walmart Florida
I LOVE Walmart. You can find pretty much anything you need in Walmart and depending on what you’re there for, you can spend hardly anything for everything you need. If you’re willing to have the off brand products instead of the branded options then you’re going to get some great bargains. You can however buy products you won’t find elsewhere, like these Golden Graham S’mores Bars.
We love to shop for products that you can’t find in the UK and Golden Grahams are one of the products we buy loads of. Walmart is cheap if you make it cheap but if you go a little crazy with branded products, you might get a scare at the till. I would suggest adding up everything as you go and then you’ll have a better idea of how much you’re spending before you get to the checkout.
What Is Cheap In Walmart Florida?
- Off-brand items such as cereals, and snack bars.
- Milk, Juice and Fizzy Drinks.
- Vegetables
What Is Expensive In Walmart Florida?
- Meat-based products
- Branded items
- Crisps and sweets
- Some fruit
Dollar Stores
Shops like Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Five Below are great for spending as little as possible and still getting essential food. If you have a short Florida holiday you might want to get yourself down to any local dollar store. You can get products such as sweets, cereals, snack bars, drinks and chocolate at the dollar stores for a lot less than if you’re going to buy them from Aldi or Walmart.
Dollar stores are also amazing places to buy essentials such as shampoo or body wash. If you’re from a country that doesn’t have the amazing products that you can only get if they’re imported, go to a dollar store, buy a load and stuff them in your case without the huge price tags! They are great places to get these sorts of items which also make amazing gifts!
Publix Florida
One thing we found when visiting Florida, Publix is expensive and not somewhere 90% of tourists will spend their money. They sell pretty much anything you can think of, but everything they sell comes with a huge price tag and you will end up finding the products cheaper in the other stores I’ve mentioned. If you’re on a budget holiday to Florida, avoid Publix.
Everything they sell is expensive, the only thing I can say about their store is that we found the staff to be amazing when we visited and very friendly.
Which Grocery Store Is Most Affordable In Florida?
When it comes to Florida grocery shopping, I’m sure you’ll want to save money and that’s understandable. If you’re going to places like Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World you’ll not want to spend all of your money on groceries! I would like to point out that you can take food and drinks into Disney World so make sure you get your own food and drinks to take with you so that you don’t have to spend a fortune in the park.
Weighing up all the places to buy food in Florida and what stores have to offer, Walmart seems to be the most affordable food store in Florida. They have pretty much everything you could want, you might be paying more in Walmart for something that sells in Aldi but you’ll save money overall.
If you’re shopping in Walmart, make sure you don’t go for branded foods all the time or it will cost you more and off brands in America taste like the real deal, unlike dupe products in the UK which taste awful. So if you wanted to know where to buy inexpensive groceries in Florida, I hope that’s helped.
The Best Grocery Store Florida
The stores above are where we think are the best to worst when buying groceries. If you think differently or have any stores you think we should add to this list, let us know! We are already planning our second visit to Florida real soon and we’re always looking at new places to try so we’d love to know what other people do when they visit.
Cheapest Disney Outlet Stores In Florida
It might not be groceries but if you’re in Orlando, Florida you’re probably going to be visiting Disney World at least once and you don’t want all your money to be spent in one place, Disney World isn’t cheap so you’ll want to buy your Disney products somewhere else.
Thankfully Orlando Disney Outlet Stores are all over the place and we’ve compiled a list together that makes sure you know the best and cheapest Disney outlet stores in Florida so you won’t be spending all your budget on one day in the Disney parks!
